Apple Inc. $AAPL Stake Lowered by Smith Moore & CO.

Key Points

• Smith Moore & CO. trimmed its Apple stake by 5.2%, selling 8,009 shares and now holds 144,983 shares worth about $39.4 million, with Apple making up 3.0% of the firm's portfolio and ranking as its fifth-largest holding.
• Apple beat Q2 estimates — reporting $2.01 EPS vs. $1.95 expected and $111.18 billion in revenue (up 16.6% YoY) — and management boosted capital returns, raising the quarterly dividend to $0.27 and announcing a large share buyback (about $100 billion).
• Insider selling accelerated: SVP Deirdre O’Brien sold 30,002 shares and insiders have sold a total of 96,485 shares (≈$24.6 million) in the last 90 days, while insiders now own roughly 0.06% of Apple stock.

Smith Moore & CO. lowered its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 5.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 144,983 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 8,009 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises 3.0% of Smith Moore & CO.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Smith Moore & CO.'s holdings in Apple were worth $39,415,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AAPL. First National Bank of Hutchinson lifted its position in shares of Apple by 24.6% during the 4th quarter. First National Bank of Hutchinson now owns 35,319 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $8,845,000 after buying an additional 6,982 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Apple by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 54,085 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $13,544,000 after buying an additional 272 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Apple by 14.8% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 537,314 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $134,554,000 after buying an additional 69,207 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Apple by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 66,857 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $16,742,000 after buying an additional 2,695 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Highview Capital Management LLC DE lifted its position in shares of Apple by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 50,264 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $12,587,000 after buying an additional 1,155 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Apple Stock Up 0.0%

AAPL stock opened at $280.19 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $260.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $265.27. Apple Inc. has a 12 month low of $193.25 and a 12 month high of $288.62. The company has a market cap of $4.11 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.02.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.06. Apple had a net margin of 27.15% and a return on equity of 146.69%. The firm had revenue of $111.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.46 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.65 EPS. Apple's revenue for the quarter was up 16.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 14th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th will be given a $0.27 dividend. This is a positive change from Apple's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 11th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Apple's payout ratio is currently 13.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on AAPL. Jefferies Financial Group set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and set a $350.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Scotiabank set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Maxim Group upgraded shares of Apple from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $300.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, January 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Apple presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $304.31.

More Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 results beat and June-quarter guidance well above Street expectations, giving investors confidence in near-term sales momentum and margins. Apple stages sharpest rally in 9 months as execs cite iPhone, Mac demand in boosting guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Management expanded capital returns — a large share buyback ($100B) plus a dividend raise — which supports EPS and buyback-driven upside. Apple (AAPL) Stock: Q2 Earnings Beat ... and $100B Buyback
• Positive Sentiment: Stronger-than-expected demand in Greater China and for the iPhone 17 and Mac lineup (including Mac Mini demand for AI work) is driving top-line upside and a re-rating by some analysts. Apple's China sales jumped 28%: now analysts are rethinking AAPL
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple firms raised price targets and options activity surged, signaling bullish positioning and expectations for further upside. Analyst moves & options flow
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple signaled it is retiring its net-cash-neutral target — investors interpret this as freeing cash for a potential large AI acquisition, but timing and impact remain speculative. Apple just gave a subtle clue that a splashy AI acquisition may be in the cards
• Neutral Sentiment: Media/services expansion — Apple aims to grow its sports/TV footprint (Formula One content and TV deals), which supports longer-term services revenue diversification but is incremental near term. Apple's Cue expects F1 movie sequel...
• Negative Sentiment: Management warned that the global memory-chip shortage is worsening — that creates a real near-term cost/margin headwind and could force pricing or longer-term supplier commitments. Apple Warns the Memory Shortage Is Getting Worse
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts remain cautious — Wall Street is split on whether the beat is sustainable versus one-time effects (tariff refunds, inventory/timing), leaving valuation and durability questions. Wall Street Splits on Apple After Q2 Beat

Insider Activity at Apple

In related news, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 30,002 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.35, for a total value of $7,661,010.70. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 136,810 shares in the company, valued at $34,934,433.50. This represents a 17.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,534 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total transaction of $421,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,366 shares in the company, valued at $3,675,650. This represents a 10.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 96,485 shares of company stock worth $24,594,845 in the last 90 days. 0.06% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Apple Profile

Apple Inc NASDAQ: AAPL is a multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. The company designs, develops and sells consumer electronics, software and services. Over its history Apple has evolved from personal computers to a broad portfolio that spans mobile devices, wearables, home entertainment and digital services.

Apple's principal hardware products include the iPhone smartphone, iPad tablet, Mac personal computers, Apple Watch wearable devices and a range of accessories such as AirPods and HomePod.

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